Kerry talks to Panchy’s honors U.S. history class

U.S. Senator John Kerry made a surprise visit to a small group of history and social studies students at Nantucket High School Tuesday morning.

During his brief visit, Kerry responded to a variety of questions from the students on topics surrounding the current economy, the 2008 election and the possibility of democracy in Iraq.

“I think we should be the world’s leaders,” said Kerry, a Hulbert Avenue summer resident who spent the long weekend on Nantucket, hosting former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Saturday. “A lot of countries followed the United States with respect to what we did with our currency. They did it as a way to strengthen their view as strong fiscal countries.”

Senator Kerry, who continued to answer questions about the exporting of goods and said that the U.S. is now exporting far more than it did a few years ago. He also said that he believes there is an enormous amount that this country can do in terms of world energy policy, a theme echoed by Blair in papers around the world over the weekend.

After the students were dismissed, a few had the opportunity to ask Sen. Kerry additional questions.

Cecilia Gutierrez, a sophomore, asked specifically about immigration and the shortage of visas.

“People are struggling with immigration in this country,” said Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential election to George W. Bush. “Embassies are swamped and they can’t even process all of the visas.”

Wyatt Leske, a senior, asked Kerry about the draft in Vietnam and how creating a draft might have changed the war in Iraq.

“Vietnam was very different altogether because Vietnam had a draft. If we had had a draft with the current war, I don’t believe things would have happened as they did,” Kerry said.

Rachel Siegel, a junior, is working on a project about the Freedom Riders. Jumping at the opportunity, she did not hesitate to ask Kerry about his first-hand experiences with the civil rights activists who tried to desegregate the South.

“Tell me what your experiences with the Freedom Riders were like,” she said. Kerry answered by saying that he helped raise money and drove down south one spring from New Haven, Conn.

“It was a shock for me,” continued Kerry. “I was a kid from the North seeing signs that said ‘Whites Only’ and ‘No Coloreds Allowed.’ There was a lot of animosity and it was dangerous sometimes but it was a great thing to be involved with.”

Peter Panchy, a history teacher at the high school, served as the contact for Kerry’s visit. A few honors students from his classes were able to attend the event, although he said he wished they all could have participated.

When asked about his reaction to Kerry’s meeting with the students, he said, “Sen. Kerry was superb and I really appreciated his time. I also appreciate the fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to talk to the students at such short notice.”

Panchy continued by saying that he hopes to have a full school assembly with Sen. Kerry in the fall so all of the students can get involved.

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